Monday, March 1, 2010

This painting was sort of a response to my painting professor’s commentary that my work was too focused on conceptualization over formalism. Lemon and avocado in hand, I sat down and painted this without first creating some elaborate conceptual goal in mind. Not that this painting addresses specific formal issues in the work either, but at least I was able to distance myself from over-analyzing the idea before I even created the piece. Occasionally I have a tendency to get so caught up in trying to express a certain point that my concern over the formal qualities goes by the wayside.
Anyway, I ended up pleased with the result and found that even while “painting on autopilot”, my work tends to follow in the same general direction. The lemon combined with the round pit of the avocado abstractly echos a human form, especially that of a pregnant woman. There seem to be repeating themes in my work that resurface again and again - intentionally or not.

☾

Liz Darling is a visual artist from Kansas. Deliberate and intricate, Darling uses watercolor, ink, and other water-based media to create organic compositions that often center on themes of spirituality, transience, the divine feminine, and the natural world.